A. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the present invention relate to a pinata, and more particularly, the embodiments of the present invention relate to a reusable, programmable, interactive, and talking pinata for being hit by a stick by a size-insensitive user to dispense bounty and for depicting interchangeable and disposable characters.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A pinata is a man-made object made in various shapes and styles, which is normally filled with candy. It is generally used at children's birthday parties as a fun game or party activity that results in the children “winning” the candy that is inside it by breaking open the pinata with a stick.
The pinata is tied to a middle part of a horizontally oriented rope. The children take turns hitting it with the stick with the intent of breaking it—sometimes while blindfolded.
An adult generally keeps moving the pinata by pulling on one end of the rope so as to make it hard for the children to actually hit the pinata. When they finally break it, all the candy falls down and the children then reach for it, grabbing for themselves as much as they can.
Numerous innovations for pinatas and the like have been provided in the prior art, which will be described below in chronological order to show advancement in the art, and which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention in that they do not teach a reusable, programmable, interactive, and talking pinata for being hit by a stick by a size-insensitive user to dispense bounty and for depicting interchangeable and disposable characters.
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,872 to Bajo.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,872 issued to Bajo on Nov. 29, 1988 in U.S. class 446 and subclass 5 teaches a reusable pinata having a body with a frangible bottom closure surface that is replaceable, and a top closure surface that is outlined to define punch-out or cut-out areas for permitting access to the interior of the pinata body when desired. The pinata may have a hood overlying the top closure surface and the body. The hood is preferably bell-shaped and formed from at least one expansible paper unit.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,337 to Estrada.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,337 issued to Estrada on May 23, 1989 in U.S. class 273 and subclass 440 teaches a reusable pinata for dispensing tokens or object that have a predetermined configuration to fit cavities in boards. The objects are dispensed when strings are pulled that open the closure members that are pivotally mounted to the bottom of a hollow container. The container is suspended from a stand assembly that includes a base, an upwardly extending pole member, and an arm member that is substantially perpendicular to the pole member. A timer is mounted to the pole member.
(3) United States Patent Application Publication Number 2003/0190858 to Thomas.
United States Patent Application Publication Number 2003/0190858 published to Thomas on Oct. 9, 2003 in U.S. class 446 and subclass 484 teaches an interactive pinata equipped with an electronic recording/playback system. The recording system can either play previously recorded messages, or in an alternative embodiment, the system can record and play back original messages from a person, such as the owner. In either embodiment, the pinata can respond to being struck—or missed—by playing a message. The pinata may be embodied with cartoon or celebrity voices being prerecorded. Finally, the recording system could be operated via a type of remote control, ranging from simple pushbuttons to a karaoke-like arrangement.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 7,006,001 to Estrada et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,006,001 issued to Estrada et al. on Feb. 28, 2006 in U.S. class 340 and subclass 692 teaches a speech or phrase emitting celebration device, in the nature of a pinata, includes a longitudinal axial channel within which is placed a complementally sized integrated circuit (“IC”) including a library of pre-programmed voice chips having phrases selected by random. The circuit is responsive to impacts or shocks upon a fanciful housing of the device sufficient to actuate a shock sensor switch thereof. A speaker, in electrical communication with the circuit board of the integrated circuit is in mechanical communication with a speaker at an end of the channel so that the emitted phrase may be heard by those in the vicinity of the device. A hollow cylindrical sensor may be disposed within the interior channel to provide appropriate input to the shock sensor switch or a more sensitive discrete element sensor may be used.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,545 to Mannion et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,545 issued to Mannion et al. on Aug. 8, 2006 in U.S. class 211 and subclass 181.1 teaches a support for a predetermined container, which has a rim, e.g., at its top opening. The support includes a lid or a supporting ring, constructed to interfit, e.g., with the rim of the container. There is a suspender formed with the lid or supporting ring and deflectable from an as-formed position to an upstanding position in which it is capable of carrying weight of the container. In most cases, suspenders extend inwardly of a rim of the lid or the supporting ring. Free-ended flexible finger suspenders of synthetic resin formed integrally with the lid or the supporting ring as a molded unit. The lids or rings are associated with closure surfaces, such as closure portions molded with the lid or the ring, closure inserts, or closure films or foils on the container itself. The suspenders are useful to the consumer in enabling improved carrying of the merchandise with other items or in intertwined fusion with the like items and to the storekeeper in suspending merchandise. Combinations of the lids or supporting rings with containers containing prepackaged food, tennis balls, and other contents are displayed by storekeepers from hooks and racks; in many cases hanging at a substantial tilt angle for better visibility and utilization of stocking space.
(6) United States Patent Application Publication Number 2007/0298647 to Lee et al.
United States Patent Application Publication Number 2007/0298647 published to Lee et al. on Dec. 27, 2007 in U.S. class 439 and subclass 354 teaches a reusable pinata including a non-frangible housing having a treat discharge port formed therein and a target mounted thereon. A mechanism mounted within the housing discharges treats through the treat discharge port when the target is engaged by a thrown object.
(7) United States Patent Application Publication Number 2009/0242455 to Adams et al.
United States Patent Application Publication Number 2009/0242455 published to Adams et al. on Oct. 1, 2009 in U.S. class 206 and subclass 575 teaches a punch-through gift container for use in party and game play environments providing in one embodiment an enclosed container including a rigid backwall, rigid sidewalls, and an internally positioned matrix of interlocking rigid partitions creating within the container a plurality of compartments. The front wall of the container includes a thin fungible wrapper affixed to the front of the container, with a plurality of aiming targets adorned on the exterior of the wrapper to indicate the center of each compartment contained therein. Gifts placed within the compartments of the container are retrieved from the chosen compartment by punching or otherwise breaking the wrapper through the aiming target corresponding to the chosen compartment.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for pinatas and the like have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the embodiments of the present invention as heretofore described, namely, a reusable, programmable, interactive, and talking pinata for being hit by a stick by a size-insensitive user to dispense bounty and for depicting interchangeable and disposable characters.